Pacific/Asia Diving

[rooster]

Hi Guys

I am tentatively thinking about leaving work soon and travelling for 6 months to a year. I have planned this a few times before but never had the bottle to do it, but this time (I think!) I am serious.

The trip is a mixture of diving and 'cultural' stuff, but the problem I have is with the itinerary. It's a big world out there!

Has anyone dived in the Pacific area i.e. Hawaii/ Fiji etc and can give some advice on where to go in this region. Also, any experiences of Asia would be helpful.

Any other views on must see places/ must do dives that should be part of my trip would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any help.


Rooster.

[ianwheeldon]

hi rooster. i'm planning a similar trip myself in december. you getting one of those round the world ticket thingys? i've heard the divings great all over s/e aisa. as for hawaii and the south pacific, surley it;ll be impossible to have a bad dive there. (famous last words).
when are you planning on heading off? it's one hell of a long shot but we could meet up!
have an ace time anyway and dont even think abuot changing your mind. you owe it to diving!
ian.

[John Gulliver]

Don't miss the Philippines (e.g. Visayas, around Cebu ansd southwards) and Indonesia (especially Northern Sulawesi, around Manado, Bunaken Island and Lembeh Strait). The diving is superb.

[whitehead]

If I was heading to SE Asia I would definitely include the Philippines and Indonesia - exceptional diving for both pelagics and benthics. I would also include Thailand - the diving is not as good as Phil and Indo in my view but the country is as tourist freindly as you are likely to find (and the food is 100,000 times better).

Another major thing to take into account is cost - a days diving in SE Asia is cheap - so you can dive a lot more! The hotels are dirt cheap so you can stay a lot longer. The food is cheap so you can consume more and the beer is colder (sorry should say the lager is colder). Our water is warmer, and consequently our RMVs lower so we can stay down longer.

[John Gulliver]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (whitehead @ Mar. 28 2003,06:52)]I would also include Thailand - the diving is not as good as Phil and Indo in my view but the country is as tourist freindly as you are likely to find (and the food is 100,000 times better).

Don't agree about that. The food in Indonesia is every bit as good as in Thailand, in my opinion. In fact, it's very similar. And I personally like the food in the Philippines better. It's more like our European food, which suits me best. I prefer baked potoes and chips to rice and I don't particularly enjoy food that burns my mouth out. The food was so spicy, I almost starved during a week on a liveaboard in Thailand.  
But I have to agree that Thailand is a lovely country, even though the diving is nowhere near as good.